A great deal of time and effort goes into compiling marketing information regarding individuals, groups, regions and all sorts of demographic categories. This information is generally obtained by surveying the targeted subjects about their buying behavior or preferences. While surveys produce reasonably accurate results, they are costly and time consuming, and there is no guarantee of accuracy. A reliable method of compiling information is needed that both indicates a reliable preference for a product and if an individual is still a potential buyer. Such a method would be an extremely valuable tool for marketers.
As the use of the Internet proliferates, marketing efforts need to be focused more on an individual, so that the individual can be targeted for specific advertising with a reasonable expectation of a response. There is a need therefore, for a means of obtaining information which originates at the individual level.
One problem in obtaining product preference information is its accuracy. Without any particular incentive, a product preference survey will be fraught with inaccuracies due to the vagaries of the individuals responding. An incentive is needed to promote an honest response. It is a purpose of this invention, to have an individual select a product preference in the context of a possibility of winning the product.
It is a purpose of this invention to provide an Internet user with an attractive mechanism for providing product preference information which is accurate and timely, while engaging in a pleasurable and potentially rewarding activity.
A game is provided for simultaneous play by a group of users through a real-time interactive network set up on an Internet web site. An Internet server is linked to one or more game servers set up to offer a selection of games that are playable on an interactive basis by individuals or groups. The games are playable by multiple users at the same time. The basic rules of the games presented may be well known, such as bingo, poker, and other playing card games. Each game employs a playing medium such as the tablet in Bingo and the deck of cards in poker. Each individual player sets up a specific reference table of products, i.e., a product medium, selected from a hierarchy of product categories and products, accessible by the game server. The products are potential prizes that may be awarded, in a sweepstakes style contest, upon winning the game.
The game server provides a game algorithm, for example, a matrix, designed to convert the standard game symbols in the game medium, i.e. columns and numbers for bingo or suits and cards for playing cards, to products in the product medium. The product medium is used in the play of the game. In addition the game server provides access to the product lists in a hierarchy of categories and sub-categories selectable by the player. Each game symbol of a game will be correlated in some fashion with a product, a category, or sub-category. In this manner, players may be competing at the same game, but with entirely different selected product symbol arrays. The incentive for making product choices accurately reflecting preferences is the possibility of winning, in a sweepstakes style contest, one or more of the selected products during the course of playing the game. During set up of the game or during play, advertising geared to the individual""s selections may be presented to the player by the game server.
A database of product lists and associated advertising and marketing graphics and text is maintained to provide the information required by the player to generate the product medium and to provide the information for targeted advertising during the play of the game.
In the process of setting up a game, each player goes through a hierarchical selection process in which he selects one or more products, categories or sub-categories. In completing the selection process, the player creates a product preference profile that is tabulated and recorded for each individual player. This information is compiled for use in an individual player product preference profile and/or extrapolated into larger, more generic, marketing profiles. Using the player profile, advertisers are provided with a medium to target individuals who have preselected a product. Discounted products, specifically selected to provide an opportunity to meet the personal preferences of each individual player, may be offered directly during the game. Product preference data obtained from the user""s selections may be mined, in a marketing sense, in a great variety of ways. The advertiser is reasonably assured that the player has accurately indicated his preferences and has not yet purchased the specific item, because the player has chosen the item in an attempt to win it.
In this manner, a system is devised which provides games that use player prize preference selection to determine and develop a database of consumer product preferences. The selections are incorporated into the play of the game, which is further designed to take advantage of product promotion activities targeted to the player""s selected preferences. The player is allowed to compete with other players in the same game using a symbol set unique to each player, while the game algorithm converts back and forth between the selected product symbol set of the product medium to the standard symbol set of the game medium. At the conclusion of a game, a winner is established by rules predetermined for each game variation.
The invention of this application involves the adaptation of the apparatus and method described above to a fantasy style game designed for sweepstakes type contests. The games of this invention are based on a maze scenario, adventure plot or other fantasy script which requires a predetermined number of decision points as the game progresses. The decision points are selected in accordance with the difficulty desired or the planned chance of winning level. Each decision point may have multiple choices which also effect the difficulty and chance of winning. Each decision point and the associated choices provide and opportunity for graphic displays of selected products. The player is presented with a selection of graphic theme""s which will govern the graphic displays that are presented. The graphic displays related to each decision point and choice are analogous to the game symbols previously described.
The game medium, therefore, will consist of the graphics displayed at each decision point and choice. The graphics are formatted within the graphic theme selected by the player or the game server. For each player, the product medium, representing the unique product preferences they have indicated, is integrated into the graphic environment. This is accomplished by an algorithm which correlates the individual player""s product choices to the set of graphic elements (symbols) specifically allocated for product display at each decision points and/or path choice. In this manner, the product medium is generated, as described above. As before this allows an individual player to customize his own game while playing against other players whose graphic theme and product medium are entirely different.